DEC gives Tech City environmental OK

KINGSTON — The state Department of Environmental Conservation has given Tech City a clean bill of health, hopefully clearing the way for further development.

BY JEREMIAH HORRIGAN

KINGSTON — The state Department of Environmental Conservation has given Tech City a clean bill of health, hopefully clearing the way for further development.

After several years of study, the DEC issued a report saying that no further environmental remediation is necessary at the former IBM site.

Tech City's CEO, Alan Ginsberg, said the finding represents a milestone for the site "which has the potential to be a powerful economic engine for the region."

Contamination at the site dates back to the 1970s, when industrial solvents IBM used to clean computer motherboards seeped into the ground. The company also used an acre of the property to dispose of wastewater treatment sludge. IBM has monitored the site ever since.

Until now, the contamination and the lack of an environmental all-clear made it difficult for the site's tenants to secure funding, since a lender would have had to assume liability for environmental problems in the event of foreclosure.

The site's 1.7-million square feet of space is currently about 35 percent occupied, according to Tech City spokesman Bill Madden.

Madden said Ginsberg hopes the DEC's decision will clear the way for the site to build on its strengths — a site that already has a strong infrastructure, zoning approval for everything from a university to retail and office space, a vast campus and an ideal location.

Madden also said Ginsberg hopes for some eventual "public-private partnership" at the site.

While a bevy of public officials voiced hope for the site's development, Ulster Supervisor Jim Quigley had no problem containing his enthusiasm. Asked whether the report could improve the town's property-tax base, Quigley was tight-lipped:

"We are currently in litigation (with Tech City) since it filed a tax certiorari for tax relief, so I can't comment," Quigley said.